


The Travelers

by connivingAce



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Camping, Multi, Polynein (Critical Role), Road Trips, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-13 14:21:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29527737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/connivingAce/pseuds/connivingAce
Summary: Jester buys a van and rounds up the Nein for an international road trip. They all kind of fall a lotta bit in love with each other.
Relationships: Caduceus Clay/Fjord/Jester Lavorre/Beauregard Lionett/Nott | Veth/Caleb Widogast/Yasha Nydoorin, Polynein
Comments: 3
Kudos: 16





	The Travelers

**Author's Note:**

> This au started out as a series of drawings I only ever posted in the widobrave discord but the idea just wouldn't leave my head until it got written. Thank you to Winterling for being my beta I appreciate you so much.

The day was quiet and cool. Clouds covered the sky in a fluffy, light grey blanket, the kind of day where you just knew it was going to rain _and you didn’t have to go out in it_. Fjord had just settled into nap on the hammock outside his and Beau’s ranch-style house. He’d been doing backbreaking work at the flea market all day, hauling fish and running packages from booth to booth. It was his off-season job, for when he wasn’t out on the water, but it wasn’t any easier than maintaining a ship. He’d even been strong-armed into helping a particularly forceful customer, which never happened on the ship. She was an elf who’d purred the name, “ _Avantika,”_ in his ear when she’d slipped her number into his back pocket and she was not at all subtle about copping a feel when she did.

After all that _and_ the traffic jam on his way home, Fjord just wanted to sit back and _relax_. His tense muscles were just starting to unwind and his mind calmed as he listened to the sounds all around him. The chirping of birds of the day was giving way to the calming harmonies of the night which in turn melted into the sweet melody of… _La Cucaracha_?

Fjord sighed. Just as he was beginning to feel ‘at peace with Exandria,’ and ‘appreciate the ebb and flow of nature,’ or whatever Caduceus was always talking about in those guided meditation classes, _this_ happened. He sat up with a groan and shaded his eyes to search for the source of the _not_ peaceful or sweet music. His chill evaporated even further as he spotted a dark green camper van tearing its way down the dirt road, repeatedly blaring what was apparently its custom horn.

He had a brief moment of hope that the peace of his evening would be restored when the van passed his driveway, but it soon left as it screeched to a halt and backed up into a hairpin turn to sit in the yard, leaving skid marks on the admittedly unkempt lawn. Many questions were budding in his mind--and as they usually are, were at once answered and multiplied by the sight of Jester Lavorre’s sharp, toothy grin.

“Fjord! Fjoooooord!” Jester waved wildly out the window and then leaned on the horn again for good measure. The song only made Fjord grimace as he reluctantly approached the van.

It was an old, slightly rickety VW camper van. It had a folded up striped awning, tarnished silver trim, and Fjord was not in any way filled with confidence that Jester had driven it to his house. He rested his arms on the open driver’s side window.

“Hey there, Jessie. Nott,” he added, spying Nott the Brave perched on a stack of what looked like magic theory textbooks in the passenger seat.

“Cowman.” Nott gave a faux solemn nod to him that lasted for approximately three seconds before cracking a grin. “We bought a van!” she crowed, kicking up her short little arms and legs in excitement.

“I can uh… I can see that.” Fjord hooked his thumbs through his belt loops. “Any particular reason _why_ you bought a van?” He almost didn’t want to know the answer, sure that whatever the reason it was likely only going to end in trouble, but his damned curiosity always got the best of him.

“Now, you may be wondering _why_ we bought a van,” Nott said, as if he hadn’t spoken. “We don’t need one and Jester doesn’t have a license and I’m technically an illegal alien but!” She paused for dramatic effect and was promptly interrupted by Jester.

“It was a sign!” she exclaimed, “From the Traveler himself! Here, I’ll show you.” She climbed out of the driver’s seat and grabbed his hand. Nott followed through the passenger side window. Distantly, Fjord noticed that neither of them had been wearing seatbelts. They led him around to the other side of the van where he was greeted with just the most ostentatious and outlandish and _Jester_ thing he’d ever seen in his life.

Jester had shown them all enough depictions of the Traveler that Fjord could tell painting on the side of the van was supposed to be him. It was a close-up of a man in a green cloak that was draped in such a way that only one piercing eye was showing, and waves of orange red hair flowed out. Raised, presumably, by the bolts of electricity surrounding him. He held in front of his face a small version of Exandria and strangely, it seemed as if he was about to…eat it? Overlaying him in much newer paint was a horde (herd?) of stenciled-on hamster unicorns.

“I added the unicorns!” Jester looked almost too delighted by the whole thing. “I thought they really tied the whole thing together. What do you think?”

Fjord thought that he would never be caught dead anywhere near this thing under normal circumstances. But if it made Jester happy then by the Mother he was going to _like_ it. “It looks great, Jester, really. Those handcuffs on the mirror come with it or was that another addition?” There were in fact fuzzy pink handcuffs hanging where one might add an air freshener or perhaps dice if they were feeling particularly adventurous. It could honestly go either way whether Jes just had them lying around or not.

“Oh yeah the guy who sold it to me threw them in! Can you believe someone wouldn’t want to keep something like that?” Fjord could absolutely believe that, just as sure as he could believe that no amount of curiosity in the world would get him to ask where those handcuffs had been before they became a car accessory. He could also believe that anything he said on the matter would not be conducive to restoring his evening of relative peace, and so declined to comment.

“Soooooo, Fjord,” Jester had a deceptively innocent look on her face, the kind of look that had gotten Fjord into way more trouble than he’d get into on his own and the kind of look that he could never say no to. He loved and hated that look in equal measure.

“Yeah, Jes?”

“You know, Nott and I were thinking, what if we went on a road trip? All seven of us!” Jester smiled widely. “It’s been _so_ long since we all went on a trip together. We can pick up Yasha from wherever she is and drive through the Empire and maybe go visit Nicodranas and see my mama and it’ll be so much fun I promise! If you say yes then everyone else will definitely come with us, pleeeeaaaaase Fjord?”

Ah hell, she’d turned on the puppy dog eyes. Fjord considered her argument for a moment. It really had been awhile since they’d gotten to go on a trip together what with so many of them in school and Fjord out on the sea half the year and Yasha disappearing to do Yasha things every now and then. The last time they’d all been together had to be…Fjord grimaced. The last time they’d all been together was Molly’s funeral. It was much a much more raucous affair than a normal funeral, it’s what Mollymauk would have wanted, but still. Not the most pleasant of gatherings. It’d be good to meet up for something a little less dour.

“Alright, you convinced me. Let’s go on a road trip.” Fjord only hoped he wouldn’t regret agreeing to this.


End file.
